Aug 5 - The United States hit a six month high for new COVID cases with over 100,000 infections reported on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the Delta variant ravages areas where people didn't get vaccinated.
In the coming weeks, cases could double to 200,000 daily due to the highly infectious Delta variant, said top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday.
If another one comes along that has an equally severe capability of transmitting but also much more severe, then we could really be in trouble. Fauci said in an interview with McClatchy as follows: http://www.mcclatchydc.com news coronavirus article 253248688.html. People who are not vaccinated mistakenly think it's only about them. It's about everybody else, also.
The Delta variant, first detected in India, accounts for 83% of all new cases reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccination rates vary widely from a high of 76% of Mississippi residents receiving a first dose to a low of 40% in Vermont, polls showing Republicans are far less likely to get vaccinated:
Vaccined individuals represent nearly 97% of severe cases, according to the White House COVID 19 Response Team.
Deaths, a failing indicator, have jumped over the past week 33% with about 377 deaths per day on average, according to the analysis.
The Southern states, which have some of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates, are reporting the most sick cases and hospitalizations. Florida, Texas and Louisiana were reporting the highest number of new cases reported in the region in the last week, according to a Reuters analysis.
Florida, which has emerged as the nationwide hotbed of new infections, set yet another grim hospitalization record on Thursday with 12,373 confirmed COVID - 19 patients at its hospitals, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
More children are hospitalized with the virus in Florida than any other state in the U.S., HHS data shows.
23% of new COVID patientizations in the US are in Florida, and their hospitals are being overwhelmed again, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday. After DeSantis has accused Biden of singling out his state, Psaki urged the state governor to join us in this fight.
Houston are also grappling with near-record numbers of coronavirus patients that were occupying beds, according to a Reuters count.
Some private companies are also mandating vaccination for employees and customers.
In early September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will give full approval of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, which could cause more Americans to get the vaccine as it might reduce their fears about the safety of the shot.